Wednesday, June 8, 2011

CSR Wi-Linx for CSR6000 turns cars into rolling Wi-Fi hotspots

CAMBRIDGE, UK & SAN JOSE, USA: CSR plc announced the availability of Wi-Linx, a software module for the CSR6000 family of Wi-Fi chips that makers of in-vehicle infotainment systems can use to add Wi-Fi hot spot, Wi-Fi client and Bluetooth 3.0+HS capabilities to any vehicle.

Available now, Wi-Linx for the CSR6000 lets drivers and passengers securely connect to the Internet with their handsets, tablets, mobile PCs and portable gaming devices and share information, and enables in-vehicle infotainment systems to connect to home media servers, diagnostic systems, location-based information portals and other services.

“Just as Internet connectivity has transformed the mobile phone, it is now poised to spark a similar transformation of the automobile,” said Thomas Carmody, head of connectivity marketing in CSR’s Automotive and PND Business Unit. “With the introduction today of Wi-Linx for the CSR6000 family of Wi-Fi devices, CSR is providing key technologies to enhance the consumer wireless experience with the next generation of in-vehicle infotainment platforms, bringing Wi-Fi into the vehicle to complement current Bluetooth capabilities.”

According to Carmody, the CSR6000 chipset is already fully AEC-Q100 qualified, which means CSR can deploy the Wi-Linx for CSR6000 solution quickly to automotive customers along with CSR’s fully AEC-Q100 qualified Bluetooth designs.

CSR will be demonstrating a fully functional version of the Wi-Linx for CSR6000 solution in booth 26 at the upcoming Telematics Detroit 2011 conference and exhibition being held June 8-9, 2011 at the Suburban Collection Showplace in Novi, MI.

By plugging a USB broadband modem into the in-vehicle infotainment system, CSR’s Wi-Linx and CSR6000 can turn a vehicle into a rolling Wi-Fi hot spot that allows multiple occupants to access the Wi-Fi signal for a variety of purposes, from linking laptops to the Internet to streaming video to the rear-seat screens.

When parked at home, CSR’s Wi-Linx and CSR6000 will make it easy to download documents, photos and other media directly into the vehicle’s infotainment system from the home media server. On the road, it will enable users to download information about local restaurants, shops, hotels and other points of interest from the Wi-Fi hot spot at the local gas station. With Wi-Linx, photos and music files can be streamed from a smartphone instantly through the Bluetooth 3.0+HS connectivity offered by the CSR6000.

Wi-Linx for CSR6000 offers a range of configurability options that can be modified over the vehicle CAN bus via a web browser, including transmitter power settings, parental controls and VPN and firewall controls.

The CSR6000 is the world’s first fully automotive-qualified, standalone Wi-Fi solution, and offers the lowest risk and most cost-effective way to add Wi-Fi to existing automotive designs. The CSR6000 supports the IEEE 802.11b.g.n standards and offers Wi-Fi Client, Wi-Fi Access Point and Bluetooth v3.0+HS capabilities.

Wi-Linx for CSR6000 is available now for systems based on the Microsoft Windows CE 6.0 and Microsoft Auto 4.1 platforms.